Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Atlanta Police Department remembers those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The Atlanta Police Department lost three of its members last year and honored them Tuesday in a memorial service at Atlanta City Hall. The service was held in advance of next week's annual Police Memorial Week in Washington, D.C. where the names of those three officers, Gail D. Thomas, Richard Halford and Shawn Smiley, will be placed on the National Police Memorial Wall. Senior Officer Gail D. Thomas of Austell, 46, was struck by a vehicle while assisting another officer at a traffic accident on the Brookwood Interchange ramp in between Midtown and Buckhead. A sworn police officer for 15 years, she died at the scene. She is survived by her daughter, father, brothers and extended family. Officer Richard J. Halford of Lithia Springs, age 48…
Friday, December 28, 2012
Zachary Kahn faces four felony and six misdemeanor charges.
Atlanta police said Friday they arrested a man they say is responsible for a string of graffiti taggings in metro Atlanta, including in Midtown and along Georgia Avenue in Summerhill. Zachary Kahn, 21, was arrested Dec. 27 on four felony and six misdemeanor arrests. Kahn, who, according to the police, tags under the name "ptosis," is responsible for more than 100 instances of vandalism in Fulton and DeKalb counties, including on fencing at 1491 Piedmont Avenue near Ansley Mall. Brad Etterle, the Atlanta Police Department’s graffiti abatement officer, arrested Kahn after tying him to several acts of vandalism. That investigation linked Kahn to the tag "ptosis," a Greek word referring to the drooping or falling of the eyelid. The Summerhill …
Monday, December 17, 2012
“We have officers on foot, bicycle and in an all-terrain vehicle. We want to make sure folks are safe while using the BeltLine.” - APD spokesperson Carlos Campos
Since its opening in October, thousands of people have hit the path to enjoy the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail. But it’s also been a draw for thieves, too, and in response, the Atlanta Police Department is beefing up it presence along the 2.25-mile section of the BeltLine that runs from Irwin St. to 10th St. and Monroe Dr., connecting the neighborhoods of Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Midtown, Poncey Highland and Virginia Highland. Earlier this month, a 34-year-old man was jogging near the Old Fourth Ward Skate Park portion of the trail one afternoon when he was approached by three men, one whom was on a bicycle. According to the police, one of the suspects struck the jogger in the head with his fist, and another produced a gun. The men…
Friday, December 14, 2012
Atlanta Police Department releases a video featuring 23 LGBT officers explaining to young gay people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach if they can just get through their teen years.
The day after Atlanta’s mayor announced his support for gay marriage, the city’s police force released a video touting its support for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community and encouraging LGBT youth that “It Gets Better.” Much to the approval of many in the pro-gay Midtown community, Mayor Kasim Reed signed a city council approved resolution Tuesday that supports marriage equality for same-sex couples. Previously, the mayor had said he was “wrestling” with his personal beliefs on the issue, while saying he was an advocate for equal rights for gays and lesbians. But for the Atlanta Police Department (APD), such support has been in place for some time now. The video premiered Wednesday showcases APD LGBT personnel from many …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Officer accused of insisting that a sex act be performed in return for giving the student a ride to his fraternity house following a Halloween party.
Allegations from a Georgia Tech student that an Atlanta police officer demanded a sexual act in return for a ride back to campus following a Halloween party have resulted in an investigation by APD’s Office of Professional Standards and a criminal investigation by the department’s Special Victims Unit. WAOK reported Wednesday that the male student, who had been drinking, requested from an APD Zone 2 officer a ride back to the Midtown school's campus. The radio station reported that during the ride, the officer insisted that a sex act be performed in return for the ride to the student’s fraternity house. According to WAOK, an examination of the patrol car resulted in the discovery of bodily fluids, “which correlated with the story of the …
The Atlanta Police Department’s H.E.A.T. Unit is developing and implementing strategies using traffic enforcement and education to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities from drugs and alcohol, speed and aggressive driving.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) has awarded the Atlanta Police Department a $93,200 grant from its Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic or H.E.A.T. program. Added to this award is $139,800 from the Atlanta Police Department (APD), bringing the total grant program budget to $233,000. The H.E.A.T. program was designed to serve Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of crashes, injuries, and deaths. It includes twenty-two Georgia counties and covers most of metropolitan Atlanta. The primary goals of the program are to (1) reduce impaired driving crashes; (2) reduce excessive speeding; (3) increase safety belt usage; and (4) educate the public about traffic safety. “The H.E.A.T. initiative seeks to increase the …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Atlanta Fire Foundation honored valiant men and women at a "Breakfast with our Bravest" earlier this month. The annual event recognizes sacrifices and efforts of local first-responders and fire-rescue initiatives
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) welcomed 29 new officers to the force during a Tuesday evening graduation ceremony at City Hall. The ceremony concluded 22 weeks of rigorous training at the Atlanta Police Academy, along with field training with veteran officers. The training consisted of classroom courses in constitutional law, local and state laws, APD policy and procedure, hands-on defensive tactics, arrest techniques and daily physical fitness. The class consisted of 26 men and 3 women. Fourteen new members of the Citizens Police Academy also graduated. The Citizens Police Academy provides a hands-on opportunity to educate the citizens of Atlanta on the operations of the Department while obtaining valuable feedback from citizens to …
Sunday, October 7, 2012
The Atlanta Police Department wants our community input to make better decisions and choices when policing our communities.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Sunday, October 7, 2012
Editor's note: The following is a message from Atlanta Police Chief George Turner Our agency has chosen to participate in the Community Policing Self-Assessment Tool (CP-SAT), an online survey which collects information about our practice of community policing. I strongly encourage you to complete this assessment, which you may access by clicking the URL below. Through your participation in this assessment, our agency will be able to gather valuable data allowing us to enhance our community policing practices and identify community policing strengths and areas for improvement. The assessment is sponsored by the COPS Office and is administered by ICF International. Your responses to this survey will be kept confidential. There are no …
Friday, September 14, 2012
Number of officers leaving annually drops to 4.2 percent in 2011. The first of three upcoming job fairs is set for Monday, Sept. 17.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Friday, September 14, 2012
By Patch Staff The Atlanta Police Department is hosting a series of career fairs this month at its Public Safety Headquarters in downtown Atlanta. APD is looking for dedicated, community-minded individuals to join our ranks of sworn officers, and become part of our force for positive change in Atlanta. The career fairs will take place on: Interviews and testing will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m., 226 Peachtree Street SW, 2nd floor. Please arrive dressed in business attire with a valid photo government-issued identification card. Anyone arriving after 8 a.m. will not be admitted. Please be prepared to be in attendance for at least six hours. Plan accordingly and come early. For additional information please visit www.joinatlantapd.org …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
City to pay former police recruit denied officer position because of HIV status
The City of Atlanta will pay a HIV-positive police recruit a settlement fee of $250,000 to resolve an almost four-year long discrimination lawsuit. Lambda Legal, which bases its Southern Regional Office in Midtown, made the announcement Wednesday involving the case of an anonymous recruit, who said he was denied employment because of his HIV status and that City doctors violated his privacy. "We are glad that the City of Atlanta has moved to right its wrong," Greg Nevins, supervising senior staff attorney at Lambda Legal's Midtown office, said in a news release. Nevins was co-counsel in Lambda Legal's 2010 Atlanta Eagle bar raid case against the APD that ultimately cost the City nearly $2.7 million in attorney fees and settlements. "We …
RandyJ
12:41 pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013
There is a difference between art (lawful) and graffiti (crime). more ›